“The Tulip was an exotic flower in the golden era. The flower originates from Turkey and when it arrived in the Netherlands they were rare and extremely expensive. A tulip was the kind of flower you could actually make a statement with. You cannot imagine the kind of prices people would pay for a single tulip. The most expensive Tulip ever was named the Semper Augustus. It was worth around 10.000 guilders. For that same amount of money you could buy a canal house in the most expensive area in Amsterdam.”

“What was the happiest moment of your life?”
“If you really want me to answer that question, I would at least need two months to think about the answer.”

“I´m sorry I probably look tired. It´s because I am fasting.”
“How is that working out for you?”
“Well, I thought it would be difficult this year but it’s really not. It’s probably easier because I’m surrounded by others who also fast which makes it really fun. It brings the community closer together.”

“I see you are using a 35 millimeter lens. That one usually makes my nose look bigger!”

“I am a volunteer for an organization called the ‘Kindertelefoon.’ It’s an organization which offers kids a phone line they can call with whatever question they have. Sometimes they call to talk about things such as their sexuality, problems at school, cyber bullying and sometimes they just want to talk about their day.”
“What is the most important quality such a volunteer should have?”
“Whenever a child comes to you with their problem, most of the time they expect you to hand them an instant fix. As a volunteer you should never push them towards a certain solution, even if they want you to. Instead, your conversation needs to stimulate and facilitate the child into finding the solution to their problem all by themselves.”

“He has a big passion for street food so I bought him these as a joke. I was a bit scared he wouldn’t understand it. Instead he said: You should have gotten the one with the hamburgers as well!”